1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a stand alone bookmark with a detachable page marker, more particularly a reusable bookmark in the shape of a character, which can be used as a toy or to hold one or more places in a book or other type of text.
2. Background Information
A variety of methods have been used to mark one's place while reading a book, or to mark frequently used sections in a reference text. These include simply turning down the corner of the desired page in the book, placing a loose slip of paper or a “stick-on” note in the appropriate place, leaving a pencil between the pages in the text, or placing a commercially available bookmark in the text. None of these are ideal. It is undesirable to bend the corners of pages, and difficult to find a page with a bent corner in a book, especially where several pages have bent corners. A pencil can damage a book's spine, and often rolls out of the book so that the page is lost. Flat, commercially available bookmarks are often hard to find when you need them. Slips of paper and commercially available bookmarks are easily lost when they fall out of the book.
The bookmark of the present invention can be used as a toy, and is effective for marking one's place(s) in a book, magazine, or the like. The present invention is a reusable bookmark which resembles a recognizable character, such as a human, animal, or mythological figure. The bookmark includes a detachable page marker, which can be used to mark desired place(s) in a book. This stand alone character bookmark does not damage a book or easily slip out of a book. Since it is clipped on the book, it is not easily lost and can be kept at the ready. It is inexpensive to produce, and can be reused on different books. It can be used on all sorts of texts, including binders, manuals, booklets, and books, including hardbacks and paperbacks. It can also be used for holding signs, recipe cards, practice flashcards, etc.
The character bookmark of the present invention is appealing to children, and may arouse their curiosity and elicit greater interest in reading. It comes in a variety of characters, such as animals, humans, and mythological (e.g., fairy tale) figures. Parents and grandparents may choose bookmarks which bear some resemblance to the family pet, a family member, or the child's favorite creature, thus attracting the child's attention, increasing their curiosity, and indirectly encouraging the child to read. A set of the bookmarks of the present invention can be sold in a kit with a book featuring a story about the particular figures represented by the bookmark(s). These bookmarks can feature particular characters in traditional or new stories, such as bookmarks depicting several particular types of dogs with a book about these dogs, to further encourage fantasy and stimulate the child's creative imagination. The page marker further stimulates imagination and play because it can be detached and reattached to the body of the bookmark. The page marker may resemble, for example, a leash on the dog-shaped bookmark, or a sash on an angel-shaped bookmark. The page markers are interchangeable between bookmarks, and they may be used to lead, or pull, the characters. Several page markers attached to a single bookmark of the present invention may be used to mark a number of pages in the same book, magazine, etc., if desired.
These bookmarks may be used to animate and embellish bedtime stories. The bookmark of the present invention may be clipped onto school books or book bags, and may become a topic of conversation and play (or trading) with friends. The present bookmark can easily be transported to school, on a trip, or to a friend's house.